Portable electronic devices, such as tablets, smart phones, and the like, have become ubiquitous in modern day life. The functionality and utility provided by these portable electronic devices enhance the life of a user by simplifying tasks, improving productivity, and providing entertainment. Some portable devices, however, are difficult to interact with because several input methods are simply not provided. For instance, the small form factor of some portable electronic devices result in devices that do not have a physical keyboard, making typing cumbersome. Additionally, portable electronic devices have a display screen which is not a suitable surface on which the user can write with a typical writing utensil, e.g., a pen or pencil.
Accordingly, accessory devices have been developed to complement the use of these portable electronic devices to enhance user experience by filling in these gaps in usability. For instance, portable keyboards have been developed to connect with these portable electronic devices to provide a physical keyboard on which a user can type by pressing keys. Furthermore, electronic writing devices, e.g., styluses, smart pencils, and the like, have been designed to act as a writing utensil for these portable electronic devices.
In some cases, these accessory devices operate by utilizing power from a host device, such as the portable electronic device. The power from the host device can be provided to the accessory devices during use or at an earlier time when the accessory devices are storing power in one or more locally stored batteries only to be used at a later time. Often, these accessory devices couple to the host device through one or more exposed electrical contacts. Using exposed electrical contacts to charge a battery in an accessory device, however, requires the host device and accessory device to have exposed electrical contacts. The exposed contacts can be formed of a plug-and-socket type connection mechanism that results in one or more openings in both the host and accessory devices. This can provide an avenue within which dust and moisture can intrude and damage the devices. Furthermore, the plug-and-socket type of connections require the host and accessory device to be physically connected together, thereby limiting the ease at which the accessory device can be charged by the host device.